Re: T410s fan

I've just finished one more experiment. Switched the ssd on machines... It turns out that ssd from quiet unit hasn't changed behavior of loud one. It's not the system/win7 issue. It's BIOS (but units have same rev.). Maybe some fault during assembly?

LENOVO can you hear me? What's wrong with your quality checks. Why the units vary between one another. This is 2000 EUR/pcs. hardware!

they only a run brief diagnostic on the system to make sure there is no hardware error, but i don't think they check noises as such. Just call in Lenovo and ask them to change the fan/heatsink unit.

Hi, it's not the hardware problem. TPfancontrol is able to control ACPI to apply fan speed gradually. It's faulty BIOS (Embedded Controller) firmware Lenovo MUST correct (EC is keeping fan at constant 4000 rpm). It's ridiculous that 2000EUR business sector hardware meant to be expensive but silent, efficient and sturdy must be supported by freeware which is completing it's main asset (silence) - then Lenovo should pay Troubadix and take over the TPfanproject which should be implemented in Power Mananger. This guy is doing (much better) Lenovo job keeping Thinkpads cool and quiet!!

I'm researcher and most of the time I spend with my thinkpad (12+ hours), the noise of high rev fan is really annoying. I'm total thinkpad-addict but this issue is testing my patience.

I'll not give up this "fight" for corrected EC firmware!

I googled out many threads on thinkpad forums considering fan lock out (e.g. forum.thinkpad.com, forum.notebookreview.com) on T400s and T410s.

Re: T410s fan

I just bought a T410i and tried it out. The fan runs constantly and very high pitched.

I disagree that it's completely a firmware issue. The dynamic noise reduction power management option was previously mentioned and it proves that the fan can be turned on and off. During that time, you can hear the fan at different RPMs. Even just before it stops completely, it is still high pitched. For this reason, I think the fan itself is flawed. Perhaps it's too small or a bad shape that creates noise instead of airflow.

On another note, I haven't been able to get TPfancontrol to work. I downloaded and extracted the files. I read the readme file and ran the program. I got an error message immediately, saying winio.sys is missing or failed to load. It's clearly there, but does not work.

I am wondering what to do next. It is a completely new machine, but if the part itself is a flawed design, a replacement won't help.

Re: T410s fan

I just bought a T410i and tried it out. The fan runs constantly and very high pitched.

I called tech support and talked to a real person after sifting through menu options. I was asked for all of my information and "issue with fan" was enough description to have a shipping box and invoice sent to me. They said it should be taken care of within 3 business days. I will post the results.

Re: T410s fan

I just bought a T410i and tried it out. The fan runs constantly and very high pitched.

I called tech support and talked to a real person after sifting through menu options. I was asked for all of my information and "issue with fan" was enough description to have a shipping box and invoice sent to me. They said it should be taken care of within 3 business days. I will post the results.

I got it back today. It is whisper quiet and moves a good amount of air. I have felt the bottom heat up and cool down in decent cycles. I am satisfied with the results.

Unfortunately, the UltraNav no longer works. Tech support says it may either be reinstalled incorrectly or broken. They're taking it back for another fix/replacement.

The whole process takes a bit of time, but they shipped the boxes to me with packaging and instructions with next day air for free. The only cost I see is the time delay and even then, it was only a couple days.

My advice for anyone still under warranty would be to use the tech service.

I just bought a T410i and tried it out. The fan runs constantly and very high pitched.

I called tech support and talked to a real person after sifting through menu options. I was asked for all of my information and "issue with fan" was enough description to have a shipping box and invoice sent to me. They said it should be taken care of within 3 business days. I will post the results.

I got it back today. It is whisper quiet and moves a good amount of air. I have felt the bottom heat up and cool down in decent cycles. I am satisfied with the results.

Unfortunately, the UltraNav no longer works. Tech support says it may either be reinstalled incorrectly or broken. They're taking it back for another fix/replacement.

The whole process takes a bit of time, but they shipped the boxes to me with packaging and instructions with next day air for free. The only cost I see is the time delay and even then, it was only a couple days.

My advice for anyone still under warranty would be to use the tech service.

bmw86us - great news! Please keep us posted on news!

I've submitted warranty request today via IBM Electronic Service Call (ESC+). This is the complete post (the form allow me only 230 character of description):

I've new T410s which from the beginning is very noisy. The CPU fan is running constantly (never stops) on max. speed when on AC. This behavior is independent from CPU load (the CPU temperatures are as low as 30C). The option 'reduce noise dynamically' worsen the situation because fan is stopping and starting every 5 sec (like there was some conflict in ACPI controller?). I have already tried to find solution on many TP forums (forum.thinkpads.com, thinkpads.de, forum.notebookreview.com, forum.lenovo.com). It turns out that many users of T410 and T410s have problem with 'fan always on' issue (please try googling this!). BUT THE PROBLEM REMAINS UNSOLVED. On Lenovo forums there is no feedback from lenovo admins too.

This situation completely compromises the silence of the system (apart from known CPU-whine - which is not so bothersome for me) - I work in very silent environment - I do mainly research and need to stay focused. The constant "wooshh" emitted from high rev fan is causing accelerated tiredness (there is a relieve when I turn off laptop).I could possibly finish now and hoping for solution bu note that I have another unit (t410s, 2904-FXG -----A3 - almost same batch - my S/N is -----A4) with identical specs - and it manages fan speed correctly (speed down on low load situation and rev up on load) - the dynamic noise reduction is correctly working too. I was trying to swap SSD drives but it doesn't help - it's purely BIOS issue (even BIOS downgrade doesn't help).This is not the true hardware repair request - it's rather that expert look closely to BIOS embedded controller because apparently it's not working right. Maybe this is some "wiring" problem (error made during assembly) causing "short circuit" and locking fan at full speed.THIS ISSUE IS VERY COMMON AND PROBLEMATIC FOR USERS OF "SILENT" THINKPADS

Re: T410s fan

I got my T410i back last week and it's running correctly. I installed some games and ran it through the ringer as best as I could. It heated up, but not dangerously or too hot to touch. I am pleased with the performance and it remained nearly silent.

The problem now is that I'm running Windows 7 x64 and I can't get most of my games to play, including Diablo 2 and Sim City 4. Spore works fine. But this is not a Lenovo issue.

In conclusion, I recommend tech support and I am satisfied with the fixes. I did not have to pay for anything and it didn't take long. They afford next day air for everything.

Re: T410s fan

I have the same problem here. Install TP fan control and it lowered the noise.

Even after adjusting the "fan noise" using the battery settings, its still quite noisy. I believe it's because fan speed controller activates the fan above a lower temperature (mine runs 2k rpm at 50C and 4k RPM at around 60C and above). The usual temp of my laptop is around 52-70. This means that my computer tries to cool down the CPU more aggressively. Changing the settings in Thinkvantage power manager software doesnt seem to affect this (or maybe not enough). Its possible it was designed this way.

Now when TPfancontrol is loaded, the threshold is higher. my fan is off at 53C, and turns on only up to 1900rpm at around up to 68C. I havent gone up higher than that so far. Since the fan runs at only half the speed, obviously it wont create as much noise.

So the issue here is most likely --The fan controller using the power manager/default software has the threshold too low making the fan spin faster even at lower temperatures... It could also be that the power manager settings isn't affecting the CPU fan speed at all.

Re: T410s fan

I have exactly the same problem with my lenovo T410s. When it's plugged in the fan runs all the time (very noisy) and when it's running on battery the fan never runs. Did you find a solution to the problem?

Re: T410s fan

Isn't this the simple option in the Windows 7 control panel that says "System Cooling Policy" being "Active" on AC and "Passive" on battery (which is why the fan doesn't run as often)? That's the default configuration and has been like that always.

I hear the fan on my system but it's far from "VERY LOUD" as some people are saying. I'm not some old guy either and pretty much perfect hearing. I'm still in my 20s! The fan does continuously run but that's a setting in Windows 7 (and Vista i think) that states how you want the system to be kept cool.